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[TWD39]

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I'm posting here again in hopes that maybe someone can relate, or explain these crazy symptoms.I'm into week 6 of perhaps the worst IBS episode that I've ever had. I've had long stretches before, but I don't remember them causing me this level of misery and despair. I am severely depressed over this now, and feel hopeless. Everything I've tried as failed and the problem just refuses to go away. To recap, this episode started one day at work when I got up from my chair and felt a faint but familiar stabbing pain in my back left side right below the shoulder blade. I remember this pain before, and always attributed it to trapped gas. I remember it happening on my right side though and I was worried about gallbladder disease back then. So left side is good. I also started expecting other usual IBS symptoms. Cramping and ribbon shaped stools, loud noisy stomach, and passing massive amounts of gas.For a good while, I would start out my day feeling pretty good, but the pains would come on me when I sat at my desk at work. By far, the worst is when I get up from the chair. I feel like I'm being stabbed. Sometimes it feels like a claw digging into me, and the pain area goes around my flank to the front. I'm a pretty bad hypochrondriac so I started fearing that maybe I had a blockage in my bowel. But I was able to put those fear to ease when I pass normal shaped stools. Things are passing out, but the pain won't go away. Thankfully, I do feel mostly pain free when I'm sitting on laying down. As soon as I'm in motion, here comes the knife Particularly baffling:1. Why did this just come on suddenly and now won't go away?2. Why is the pain the worst when I raise up from a sitting position? Is this causing my intestines to shift around?3. If it is gas, why is the pain mostly centered on that one area in my back? So weird.Thankfully, nothing I've read online indicates that this could be something serious. It's too high up for kidney stones, and I don't have any other symptoms. Healthy appetite too. But as my GF said last night, you can't live like this. She's right. I can't live in fear of moving my body. It's so crazy that gas is ruining my life right now, and the pain has me in tears.On a last note, I tried digestive advantage's intestinal gas relief pills for a month and didn't do a thing for me. Neither does Gas-X or Beano.

[BQ]

Try using the anti-gas products WITH your meals. Also you might want to speak to your Dr about using an antispasmodic medication 20-30 min before your meals.Also Perhaps using digesttive enzymes may help you. (Ask at a health store or pharmacy about them)Try heating pad and also heat patches for the pain.If you have not mentioned this to your Dr... you should.

[TWD39]

I went to see my doctor on Friday and took a sick day. I was hoping that my history with IBS and the fact that the pain is occuring in a specific area would be big clues as to what is going on. His first thought was that it was a muscular-skeletal problem. I didn't buy it. If it is a pulled muscle, why does the pain move around, sometimes to my side or front? Why is my body producing massive quantities of gas? I told him that I vaguely remember having this same pain years ago and it showed a pocket of gas in that same area. So he did an abdominal x-ray. I was disheartened that the x-ray showed nothing. So he's back to thinking this is a muscular problem. He also couldn't rule out definitively the other scary possibilities like a tumor or kidney stone. But I'm producing normal sized stools, no blood, no loss of appetite or vomiting.My GF told me that she had a pulled muscle once in that area, and it did cause the sharp stabbing pain. Maybe he's right. Maybe the fact that I stress over the pain causes my IBS symptoms to flare up and there is really no link between the two. At any rate, I still have the pain ,and it refuses to go away. Week 6 with this, and I fear I'll never be pain free again.

[BQ]

Well I guess it could be muscular. Try some topicals.. like Biofreeze, Icyhot, Bengay type stuff and see if that makes a difference. Give it a college try... like whatever it says on the packages "Do not use for more than "X" days before contacting your Dr.". If you still have the pain, call the Dr back and let them know. And then I would insist on being referred to a GI for further testing. Have you ever tried peppermint?? Peppermint is a natural antispasmodic. So you can try peppermints capsules, peppermint tea or even strong peppermints like Altoids.Also the gas could be coming from your gut bacterial balance being off. I know you tried the Digestive Advantage.. but read that label to see which bacteria it contains.. than look for a probiotic that contains different strains of bacteria. Sometimes with probiotics one type of bacteria will do absolutely nothing and another will make a big difference. So maybe try a different one.Keep us posted and try to hang in there... Something is bound to help you.

[PoopPanic]

Ive also found gasx to be completely useless. When i have painful trapped gas i try to get to a private area, go on all fours and kind of rock back and forth. Sounds ridiculous but it somehow helps to release it, which makes the pain subside quite alot

[TWD39]

Well I guess it could be muscular. Try some topicals.. like Biofreeze, Icyhot, Bengay type stuff and see if that makes a difference. Give it a college try... like whatever it says on the packages "Do not use for more than "X" days before contacting your Dr.". If you still have the pain, call the Dr back and let them know. And then I would insist on being referred to a GI for further testing. Have you ever tried peppermint?? Peppermint is a natural antispasmodic. So you can try peppermints capsules, peppermint tea or even strong peppermints like Altoids.Also the gas could be coming from your gut bacterial balance being off. I know you tried the Digestive Advantage.. but read that label to see which bacteria it contains.. than look for a probiotic that contains different strains of bacteria. Sometimes with probiotics one type of bacteria will do absolutely nothing and another will make a big difference. So maybe try a different one.Keep us posted and try to hang in there... Something is bound to help you.

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't tried peppermint, but will give it a shot! Today started out hopeful as I woke up pain free and had good normal bowel movements. But as soon as I got out of my car, I felt the stabbing in my left back again. It just doesn't sound muscular to me. I have to keep reminding myself that I've been trapped with this pain before two years ago, and it did go away. Unfortunately, I don't have a clue what I did or ate to end the cycle.

[TWD39]

Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't tried peppermint, but will give it a shot! Today started out hopeful as I woke up pain free and had good normal bowel movements. But as soon as I got out of my car, I felt the stabbing in my left back again. It just doesn't sound muscular to me. I have to keep reminding myself that I've been trapped with this pain before two years ago, and it did go away. Unfortunately, I don't have a clue what I did or ate to end the cycle.

Man why does everything I read online exactly what I don,t need to hear. Today started out encouraging as I felt just pressure but no pain in the back. I went to visit a friend and she commented that I must have lost some weight. Then tonight, I noticed one bright red spot in my stool. Internet search immediately told me that these are signs of colon cancer. Dammit I feel screwed now. My last colonoscopy was in 2007 too long ago to feel encouraged that it is not cancer. it was a traumatic painful experience because my colon is so long and twisty.

[Wendy-1]

We have all been there...when this all first started for me, my search of the internet had me having every horrible disease imaginable. Once I actually had testing done, I didn't. The internet can be a great tool but can also be riddled with deceptive things that our mind can feed on and turn into an ugly monster. TWD, don't get all worked up just yet...something like blood in the stool could be as simple as a hemmoroid. The thing about this is you have a new symptom that you can take to your doctor. He may find that it warrants a new colonoscopy just to check things out. Although the are horrible tests to prep and go through, it is better to have one done and rule out anything major than not to have it. Good luck...

[TWD39]

We have all been there...when this all first started for me, my search of the internet had me having every horrible disease imaginable. Once I actually had testing done, I didn't. The internet can be a great tool but can also be riddled with deceptive things that our mind can feed on and turn into an ugly monster. TWD, don't get all worked up just yet...something like blood in the stool could be as simple as a hemmoroid. The thing about this is you have a new symptom that you can take to your doctor. He may find that it warrants a new colonoscopy just to check things out. Although the are horrible tests to prep and go through, it is better to have one done and rule out anything major than not to have it. Good luck...

Thanks Wendy. Thankfully, I haven't noticed any red spots since my last post. I would think they would keep showing up if there is true bleeding. I'm fairly confident that the spot was a peace of undigested tomato since I did have tomatos the night before. The mind can certainly be your worst enemy when it comes to dealing with unknown medical issues.The colonoscopy is such a hard decision for me. While it would be worth it to have peace of mind about colon cancer, I can't forget my first experience with the test five years ago when I woke up in the middle of the procedure begging them to stop from the extreme pain. Also, I started having problems with gas pains in my back after that test in 2007. I fear that the doctor screw up my colon somehow, perhaps moved it into an unnatural position and I am suffering today as a result.But to not have to worry about colon cancer for another 5-10 years, that is priceless.

[BQ]

Red spots in the stool is usually from foods we have eaten. Blood in the stool gives the stool a black color and tarry consistency. If you have a tendency to think the worst I would stop examining your stool. Everyone gains and loses a few pounds.... you would have noticed a significant weight loss yourself. I would also stop doing internet searches on everything... that will only make you feel worse.

[TWD39]

Red spots in the stool is usually from foods we have eaten. Blood in the stool gives the stool a black color and tarry consistency. If you have a tendency to think the worst I would stop examining your stool. Everyone gains and loses a few pounds.... you would have noticed a significant weight loss yourself. I would also stop doing internet searches on everything... that will only make you feel worse.

You're right, BQ. The internet is truly the worst enemy for a person with a hypochrondriac nature. Yesterday was very encouraging. The back pains disappeared and I felt completely pain free until after supper with mild nausea suddenly came on me. Today, I'm feeling quite sick to my stomach and nauseated, but I've had this with IBS as well.

[TWD39]

Back again, posting an update. A bit of good news, but mostly bad. I tried the prednisone for a week, and it seemed to dull my back pain. I've managed to stay out of the severe category where it was so bad that I could barely move. I also went on vacation and enjoyed some brief periods of complete relief. I started taking fiber gummies supplements, and I've been having more normal regular bowel movements.Oh the bad front, I've noticed more weight loss, down around 10 lbs now. That spurred my colon cancer fears again, and sure enough, I read the worst thing online. I read that a tumor in the colon can exist with normal bowel movements, but sometimes the stool may get hung on the tumor slowing down the passage which creates the buildup of gas and pain. Good lord, if only this back pain would go away for more than a day so I can put these fears to rest. But today, the pain is right back on me, same freaking area, my left back side rib cage area. It hurts to get up and move, and even hits me when I cough. And now I have entered my fourth month since this problem began.